Delores Deferrari
2:14:19
MY NAME IS DELORIS DEFARRI, AND I'M THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS FOR THE ASPCA'S COMMUNITY MEDICINE PROGRAM.
2:14:26
New York City is home to countless animal rescue organizations that tirelessly work to save the lives of pets and place them in loving homes.
2:14:33
These organizations, often staffed by dedicated volunteers, are on the front lines addressing the needs of abandoned neglect did in homeless animals.
2:14:42
The work they do is not only vital for the animals they save, but also for the broader community.
2:14:47
One of our top priorities is to make veterinary care more accessible to underserved pet owners.
2:14:51
Next week, we'll cut the ribbon on our new Community Veterinary Clinic in Long Island City Queens.
2:14:56
The Queens Clinic will perform an estimated 11,000 surgeries annually and provide 10,000 animals with primary pet care services.
2:15:04
It will join the Bronx and Brooklyn clinics, which open during the pandemic and have already made a significant impact.
2:15:10
Caring for over a 140,000 cats and dogs across New York City since 2020.
2:15:16
In this time frame, we provided ACC over 10,000 free surgeries, rescues with over 71,000 free surgeries and owned pets with over 6000 surgeries.
2:15:26
While these numbers are significant, they only scratched the surface of the need.
2:15:29
The demand for appointments at our clinics is overwhelming with schedules often booking within minutes of opening.
2:15:34
Our strategy and research team estimates that an annual Spayner need for lower income households which is below 2 times the poverty level, is 85,000 surgeries for dogs and cats, excluding community cats, which would be at 193,000 animals.
2:15:49
We have been deeply affected by staffing difficulties due to the national shortage of veterinarians and veterinary techs.
2:15:55
The need far outweighs the supply, not just in term of facilities and funding, but also in terms of qualified veterinary professionals.
2:16:01
Vets must be highly skilled to perform high volume, high quality spaniuter surgeries.
2:16:07
We are committed to doing all that we can to support the animals and people of New York, but we can't do it alone.
2:16:13
The need for affordable veterinary care cannot be met solely through the efforts of nonprofit organizations no matter how dedicated or expansive their operations.
2:16:21
We consider we urge this the city to continue to consider implementing programs and policies that increase the availability of low cost veterinary services.